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The Port Harcourt Refining Company is currently in the process of obtaining various licenses after the supply of crude to the plant, which was mechanically completed in December 2023.
This was disclosed by senior officials at the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited over the weekend.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, had previously stated that the plant was in its final stage of rehabilitation.
According to a petroleum ministry official who spoke on condition of anonymity, the mechanical work at the Port Harcourt refinery has been finished and crude oil has been delivered to the plant.
The remaining steps involve obtaining licenses, which are subject to specific timeframes.
Foreign officials responsible for issuing these licenses are currently inspecting the plant and will conduct test runs at their own pace to ensure regulatory compliance.
In March, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC, Mele Kyari, announced that the Port Harcourt refinery had received 450,000 barrels of crude oil and was expected to commence operations in April, although this did not materialize.
Kyari made this statement after appearing before the Senate Ad-hoc Committee investigating the Turn Around Maintenance projects of the country’s refineries.
He also mentioned that regulatory compliance tests were being conducted at the refinery.
